


And He Slept

by daymaedoo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Depressed Lance (Voltron), Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gay Shiro (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron)-centric, M/M, One Shot, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26756923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daymaedoo/pseuds/daymaedoo
Summary: He did notice the sudden stillness of the room. The silence that had taken up residence in the once light and easy atmosphere. The discomfort that had stolen all of the air in the room seemed to radiate through the room with an oppressive, overbearing force. Only then did Lance really see. Only then did he see the concern on the faces of his friends around him.
Relationships: Allura & Lance (Voltron), Coran & Lance (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron), Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, Lance & Shiro (Voltron), Lance/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 234





	And He Slept

It had been... a long day, to say the least. Barely able to drag himself out of bed, Lance floated through the day and tried to avoid any genuine contact as he wandered through the halls. He really was doing his best to function as a normal human being. He participated in training, helped Coran with ship maintenance, and even managed to ensure that the other team members were well taken care of. Pidge was off their computer by 10 pm, Keith was out of the training room before that, and Hunk, Shiro, and Allura have been pulled from their various states of paranoia to enjoy a warm meal, all at Lance’s careful prodding. 

And that’s how they found themselves, here, in the main room, reminiscing about their time on Earth. He paid attention passively, adding a well-placed hum where it was expected. He was tired, depressed, and very far away from the present. He just couldn’t find the energy to pull himself back. So, he tried to melt into the background. It wasn’t hard to become ambient noise. He was used to that, becoming one with the backdrop. So he continued to drop auditory cues to drag more enjoyment out of the people around him. 

But god, was he tired. So fucking tired. Every movement was an extra fifty pounds added to his chest. His mouth was full of concrete. The words couldn’t force their way out even if they tried, so why try? There was nothing stopping him from cowering in the labyrinth that grew inside his mind. His personal fortress. 

So, tortured and half-aware, he barely noticed when Hunk started digging through an old backpack, searching for one thing or another. He barely registered the exasperated sigh that the man let out as he set the bag back where it once rested beside the couch. He slightly heard the frustration in his voice as he finally spoke again, “Jeez, I could have sworn I stashed that book in there but I guess I lost it.”

Lance certainly didn’t notice the way his lips formed a soft smile, a weak grimace, as he thought,  _ Just like my will to live _ . 

He noticed too late that he managed to voice those thoughts through the tough coating of his throat.

He did notice the sudden stillness of the room. The silence that had taken up residence in the once light and easy atmosphere. The discomfort that had stolen all of the air in the room seemed to radiate through the room with an oppressive, overbearing force. Only then did Lance really see. Only then did he see the concern on the faces of his friends around him. The deeper worry on Shiro’s face as he saw through the carefully cultured façade that Lance had worked to diligently to perfect. 

He was choking. He couldn’t  _ breathe _ . He was going to die if they kept looking at him, scrutinizing his movements. So, he swallowed the cement and cleared the dust out with a soft chuckle. 

“What’s going on guys?” The words rang hollow through his chest. This wasn’t his voice. He didn’t know this person. Who was this empty shell that had taken up ownership of his larynx? How could he evict them?

A gentle hand came to rest over his where it had begun to scratch where countless scars used to lie, long erased by his time spent in the healing pods. He looked up at Pidge who has now sat up from where they were curled against him, their small hand stilling his. 

“Are you alright, Lance?” They asked, voice soft and wavering. His eyebrows drew together. If he played this right everyone would forget. Everything would go back to normal. So, he smiled, a forced, bright, withered kind of thing. He plastered it on his face and wielded it like a shield.

“Of course I am Pidgey.” A chuckle. “It was just some dumb joke my sister and I used to make back at home.” A beat. The silence persisted. They all kept  _ staring _ at him. He had to leave. He had to get out of here. 

Just as he began to puff his chest and begin to make some hasty excuse for a quick getaway, the tension in the room dissipated. It popped like a bubble and burst into ease. Keith snorted and rolled his eyes. Hunk nodded along while Pidge lightly punched him in the shoulder before curling back up into a ball at his side. Allura and Coran became absorbed back into whatever conversation had been put on pause with the discomfort of the room. Everyone seemed satisfied with Lance’s quick retort. Except Shiro, who kept watching him. Except Shiro, who kept waiting for another slip of his mask. Except Shiro, who couldn’t just let Lance exist within his fortress.

The night ended a while after his slip up. He made his way to his room, taking an easy stroll in an attempt to ensure he didn’t look like he was running from anything. He made it, sat on his bed, stared up at the ceiling and just breathed. His eyes fell closed when he heard a soft knock at his door. A sigh fell from his lips as he forced himself to answer, “Come in, Shiro.”

The man, not unlike a child caught doing something naughty, let himself into the cramped room. There was no reason to pretend now. Shiro knew. So, he continued to sit, eyes closed, head tilted back as the other man made himself comfortable on his knees before him. Hard, calloused, hands softly caressed his calves and he felt those grey eyes rest on his face. 

A long silence passed between them before Shiro finally spoke up, “You wanna talk about it?”

A long sigh drew its way through Lance’s chest.

“No, not particularly.” Shiro’s hands tightened against the muscles in his legs and finally, Lance opened his eyes and let them connect with the man in front of him. 

“I think we should.” The response came. He shook his head. 

“No, no. It’s nothing. I’m just tired.” Shiro let out a soft hum at this. 

“Alright,” He stood up and toed out of his shoes. “Let’s sleep.” Lance sputtered.

“I’m sorry, what?” He felt his cheeks reddening. 

Shiro crowded into the bed and took up residence on the side touching the wall before grabbing Lance by the waist and dragging him down to lay beside him.

“You’re hurting, Lance.” The quiet that followed was deafening. “You’re hurting and you think you’re alone, but you’re not.” He whispered into the darkness. “It’s okay if I can’t help you with that hurt right now, but I won’t let you think you’re alone in this. I can’t.”

And the war that had been raging on inside Lance’s head had begun to pull their punches slightly as Shiro’s breath evened out. The tides of water that kept him under began to recede as he listened to the strong beating of Shiro’s heart beneath his ear.

And he slept. 

**Author's Note:**

> i love how a prompt i saw randomly (@misol-black) was enough to get me to write another fic for the vld fandom lmao anyway, hope you enjoyed my return to our depressed blue boy!


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